The keel of the third Type 31 frigate being built for the UK Royal Navy, the future HMS Formidable, has been lifted and turned to mark the start of construction for the ship’s engine room, a key milestones following the first steel cut for the warship in October 2024.
Planned to replace five general purpose Type 23 warships that have either left or are due to leave Royal Navy service, the Type 31 frigates are part of a two-pronged approach to try to increase the number of major surface combatants, which is at an historic low point.
In a 13 February social media post, Type 31 programme manufacturer Babcock stated that the lift and turn of the first section of the keel of HMS Formidable was undertaken at its Rosyth shipyard, where the five warships are to be built.
With the keel turning, HMS Formidable has now entered the continuous manufacturing phase, with three of the five Type 31 frigates in build.
The commissioning into service for the Type 31 frigates is running to an extremely tight timeframe, with the final ship-in-class, HMS Campbeltown, due to become operational in 2030. It is possible that HMS Venturer enters service in early-to-mid 2027, depending on outfitting and how sea trials perform, given the vessel is the first in its class.
In addition, the design change of the Type 31 to include the MK 41 vertical launch system could see early build ships such as HMS Venturer and HMS Active only have the capability fitted during an insertion period, likely during a warships reclassification process after five- or six-years’ service.
Latter vessels, potentially from HMS Formidable onwards, could have their design changed to incorporate the MK 41 from the outset, leading to a two-variant class of Type 31 frigates, at least for early service years.
Type 31: light patrol to full spectrum frigate
Intended to be light patrol frigates from the outset of the programme, the Type 31 has evolved to form that will be a reasonably capable full-spectrum surface warship, thanks in no small part to the decision to use a design derived from the Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates.
Expected to displace over 6,000 tonnes, the Type 31 class will be equipped with a 76mm main gun system from BAE Systems and two 40mm secondary guns from Bofors. Additional small arms include 12.7mm heavy machine gun points.
Anti-air missile capability will be performed by small Sea Ceptor ‘mushroom farm’, replaced by a 32-cell MK 41 VLS in later vessels that can also accommodate Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile for land and surface strike, as well as the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) being developed by the UK and France.
Sensors include the Thales’ NS110 4D multi-beam AESA radar and Artemis 360 naval infrared search and track system, and Terma Scanter and Anschütz NSX navigation radars. In addition, the Type 31 frigates will also be equipped with the Mirador Mk2 electro-optical tracking sensors.
